Receptacle for organic waste

ABSTRACT

A receptacle ( 2 ) for organic waste, the receptacle intended for the storage and transport of the said waste once contained within a plastic bag or the like is provided, the receptacle comprising a housing ( 4 ) for containing the organic waste having an opening ( 8 ) therein; a lid ( 14 ) for closing the opening in the housing; fastening means ( 26,28 ) for securing the lid in a closed position over the opening in the housing, the fastening means allowing the passage of air therethrough; and a seal assembly ( 30 ) disposed to seal the opening in the housing when the lid is in the closed position. The receptacle may comprise a scented or perfumed element ( 40 ), preferably a disc of scented or perfumed material removably disposed in the housing. The housing and lid are preferably formed from a flexible, washable material, in particular a chloroprene polymer.

The present invention relates to a receptacle for organic waste. Theinvention is particularly concerned with a receptacle for animal waste,in particular a receptacle for containing animal faeces, especially dogfaeces collected by the owner of the dog for subsequent disposal.

The problem of animal waste fouling public areas, such as parks, streetsand the like, and the associated health risks have received significantattention in recent years. In particular, the issue of the waste left bydomestic animals, especially dogs, in public areas is of considerableconcern. The level of concern is now such that the owners of dogs areencouraged to collect the faeces of their dogs when in public areas, forlater disposal in a safe, hygienic and environmentally friendly manner.As a result, it is now a very common practice for dog owners to carrywith them one or more plastic bags for retrieving and storing the faecesuntil proper disposal can be arranged. However, a particular problemexists with the carrying of the bag of faeces once collected. This hasled to an increasing occurrence of the plastic bags containing faecesbeing disposed of in an improper manner. As a result, while thecollecting of dog faeces from public areas may be practiced properly bymany people, it is becoming increasingly common to find the plastic bagsin which the faeces have been collected being discarded, for example ina hedge or other secluded place, rather than being transported by thedog owner to a site for proper disposal. Accordingly, there is a needfor a means of encouraging the proper collection and disposal of organicwaste, such as dog faeces.

The art is replete with attempts to design a device or receptacle forthe collection and transport of dog faeces. Thus, examples of devices orreceptacles for the temporary storage of dog faeces after collection andbefore disposal are disclosed in JP 2004 222691; JP 2001 078611; U.S.Design Pat. U.S. D488,591 S; U.S. Design Pat. U.S. D442,754 S; U.S. Pat.No. 7,073,462; U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,809; GB 2,357,959 A; GB 2,231,027 A;DE 10 2005 019 773 A; CA 2 412 410; CA 2 350 164; CA 2 323 174; CA 2 114676; and CA 2 251 497.

GB 2 196 615 discloses a container of generally rigid, moulded plastichaving a removable air-tight lid. The container is provided with aremovable liner, for example a plastic bag. A carrying strap is alsoprovided. The container is said to be convenient for the temporarystorage and removal of dog faeces.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,737 B discloses a sanitary animal waste collectionholder. The holder is a bag having a variety of external compartmentsand central compartment with a fold-over lid. The compartments and thelid are secured using hook and loop fastener systems. One compartment isused to house a container of a hand sanitizing composition.

US 2004/0200438 A discloses a pet waste pick up and carrying bag, havinga central compartment with a fold-over lid or flap. Two compartments areprovided, one for carrying new plastic bags and a second for holdingbags filled with waste.

A dog walking accessory is disclosed in WO 95/04457 and comprises areusable bag having three compartments, one for fresh plastic bags, onefor container used bags with organic waste, and a third compartment forholding a deodorant.

JP 2005 318879 discloses a bag for storing pet dung and small articles.The bag is worn at the waist and is attached to the user by severalstrings or ties. The bag has a ventilated portion at its lower end of anet-like fabric having a plurality of holes.

US 2006/0231043 discloses a pet waste cleanup kit having a pouch with afirst compartment for containing disposable bags held in a containerwithin the first compartment, and a second compartment for containingpet waste held in one of the disposable bags.

US 2004/0189026 discloses a right pet refuse collection and carryingdevice having a body and lid. The lid is biased to a closed positionagainst the body by a spring.

GB 2,242,822 discloses an appliance for use in removing canine faeceshaving a casing with an opening, the opening being closable by arotatable cover. The casing is enclosed by a sleeve that engages withthe casing by means of a seal.

A handheld device for collecting waste, in particular pet waste, isdescribed in WO 03/060239 and has a container formed in two halves,biased together by a spring. The container is opened against the bias ofthe spring to receive the waste.

A collapsible, disposable scoop and housing is disclosed in WO 89/06089.

While many designs of receptacle or container for use by dog owners inthe collection and transport of dog faeces have been proposed, few ifany have reached the market and been adopted to any significant degreeby dog owners. A review of the known devices as discussed above showsthat few address several key practical issues relating to the collectionand transport of dog faeces. These practical issues include the ease ofcleaning and reusing the receptacle or container and the unpleasantodours that accompany the collection and transport of faeces. Thepresent invention addresses key practical issues that remain andprovides an improved receptacle for the collection and transport oforganic waste, such as dog faeces.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provideda receptacle for organic waste, the receptacle intended for the storageand transport of the said waste once contained within a plastic bag orthe like, the receptacle comprising:

a housing for containing the organic waste having an opening therein;

a lid for closing the opening in the housing;

fastening means for securing the lid in a closed position over theopening in the housing, the fastening means allowing the passage of airtherethrough; and

a seal assembly disposed to seal the opening in the housing when the lidis in the closed position.

A particular problem with the collection and transport of organic waste,such as dog faeces, is the odour. The means for closing a receptacle forsuch waste must be simple and easy to use. Typically, such means is azip fastener, studs, buckles or a hook and loop fastener. Such fasteningmeans have proven to be popular, both from the point of view of ease ofmanufacture and ease of use. However, such fastener means allow air topass therethrough, allowing odours from within the receptacle to escape.This in turn makes the task of transporting the collected waste mostunpleasant. While it is possible to employ a closure means that is alsoairtight, thus preventing odours from leaving the receptacle, this isdifficult to achieve technically and is very expensive. The receptacleof the present invention allows the use of the known, tried and testedfasteners to secure the receptacle, while still significantly reducingor preventing the escape of odours from within the receptacle. This isachieved through the use of a seal assembly in conjunction with thefastening means, as described hereafter.

The receptacle of the present invention comprises a housing. The housingis preferably flexible. The housing may be of any suitable shape, with agenerally cylindrical housing being particularly preferred. The housingmay be of any suitable material, preferably one that is easily cleaned,especially a washable material. One particularly preferred range ofmaterials is synthetic rubbers, in particular polymers of chloropreneand like materials, which combine the properties of being flexible andeasy to wash and clean. One preferred commercially available material isNeoprene®. An alternative commercially available material is Veltex®.Another range of suitable materials for forming the housing are thepolyamides, in particular the nylon range of materials, including nylon6 and nylon 6,6. Again, suitable polyamide materials are well known inthe art and are available commercially.

The housing has an opening therein with a lid provided to close the lidby means of a suitable fastener means. The lid is preferably formed froma similar or the same material as the housing, as described above. Thelid is preferably pivotably attached to the housing, for example by asuitable hinge, with a fabric hinge being particularly preferred.

The lid is releasably securable to the housing by means of a fasteningmeans. The fastening means is one that generally allows the passage ofair therethrough and may be any suitable known fastener. It isparticularly preferred that the fastening means extends along the entirelength of the opening between the lid and the housing. In the presentinvention, it is to be noted that the term ‘fastening means’ is areference to means that extend between the lid and the housing andphysically connect the lid to the housing. Such means are to becontrasted with the closures employed by some prior art devices thatmerely rely upon the contact between the lid and the housing, forexample by biasing the lid to the housing by means of a spring or thelike.

Any suitable fastening means that allows easy and repeated access to theinterior of the receptacle may be employed. A zip fastener, having twoopposing series of interlocking teeth, is a particularly preferredfastening means. Other fastening means include hook and loop fastenersystems, such as the commercially available Velcro® fasteners, andzip-type fasteners comprising opposing and interlocking strips, such asare used in Ziploc® products.

The housing may be formed in a wide range of sizes with a wide range ofstorage volumes therein. For example, a range of housing sizes may beprovided to provide a user with an appropriate size to meet the demandsof a particular size or breed of dog or to accommodate a particularnumber of dogs, when in use.

The receptacle further comprises a seal assembly for sealing the openingwhen the lid is in the closed position. As noted, the fastener meansused in the receptacle generally allows the passage of air, at least tosome significant degree, therethrough. This in turn allows odours toescape from the receptacle, making the use and transport of thereceptacle unpleasant for the user. Accordingly, the receptacle isprovided with a seal assembly for reducing or eliminating the passage ofair into and out of the receptacle through the fastening means. The sealassembly functions to seal the lid to the housing when the lid is in theclosed position, such that air from within the housing cannot escapethrough the fastening means.

A preferred arrangement of the seal assembly is one in which a sealingmember extends across the inner surface of the fastening means, when thelid is in the closed position, that is, the sealing member extendsbetween the housing and the lid on the inner surface of the fasteningmeans, such that the passage of air from within the housing to andthrough the fastening means, is prevented. The sealing member may be aportion of one of the housing or the lid, for example in the form of aflange or flap that extends from one and seals against the other of thelid and housing. The sealing member is preferably a flexible member, inparticular a member that may be compressed when the lid is contactingthe housing and the fastening means are closed.

A sealing portion is preferably provided on the other of the housing andthe lid, to engage with the sealing member, when the lid is in theclosed position. The sealing portion may be formed from any suitablematerial, in particular a compressible material, for example a rubbermaterial. In one preferred embodiment, the sealing member is a portionof the housing and contacts the lid when the lid is in the closedposition. Preferably, the lid is provided with a sealing portion that isbrought into contact with the sealing member when the lid is closed. Thesealing portion may be a strip of suitable sealing material extendingaround the portion of the lid adjacent the opening.

To further deal with odours from within the receptacle, the receptaclemay be provided with a means for dispensing a scent or perfume, in orderto mask odours that may originate from the receptacle. Any suitablemeans for retaining and dispensing a scent or perfume may be used.

In one embodiment, the receptacle of the present invention is providedwith a portion that is impregnated with or comprises a scented orperfumed composition. The perfumed portion of the receptacle maycomprise any suitable absorbent material, examples of which are known inthe art and are available commercially, for example commerciallyavailable plastic air freshener elements and the like. The adsorbentmaterial may be impregnated with a liquid scent or perfume, again knownin the art. Alternatively, the receptacle may comprise a solid scentedor perfumed element, preferably with a suitable means to retain theelement. The scented or perfumed portion may be in any suitable positionin the receptacle, with a position within the housing being especiallypreferred.

In one preferred arrangement, the receptacle comprises a perfumed paddisposed within the housing, the pad being removable from the housing,so as to be replaced when the perfumed component has been exhausted, orto clean the receptacle, for example by washing. Accordingly, in afurther aspect, the present invention provides a receptacle for organicwaste, the receptacle intended for the storage and transport of the saidwaste once contained within a plastic bag or the like, the receptaclecomprising:

a housing for containing the organic waste having an opening therein;

a lid for closing the opening in the housing; and

a pad comprising a perfumed material removably disposed within thehousing.

The pad preferably simply lies at the bottom or innermost portion of thehousing, for easy placement and removal. In such a case, the plastic bagcontaining the waste is placed in the housing on top of the perfumedpad.

The perfumed pad may comprise an adsorbent material that contains andretains a perfume or scent composition, for example a liquid.Alternatively, the pad may be a scented or perfumed plastic.

The receptacle of the present invention preferably also comprises ameans for storing and dispensing fresh plastic bags for use incollecting the organic waste. This is an optional feature, which may beomitted for the sake of a simpler design and construction of thereceptacle, if required. The means may be a suitable compartment or thelike disposed in a convenient and accessible location on the receptacle,either on the exterior or the interior. In one preferred embodiment, themeans for storing and dispensing fresh plastic bags is disposed on thelid of the housing, most preferably on the interior portion of the lid.

The receptacle preferably also comprises a means for securing thereceptacle to another item, for ease of carrying and transport, mostpreferably a hook assembly and/or a loop, whereby the receptacle may beattached to the belt of a user or other convenient item for ease ofcarriage. Suitable hook assemblies are well known in the art.Alternatively, or in addition, the receptacle may be provided with astrap, allowing the user to carry the receptacle by being hung by thestrap from a shoulder. Further, the receptacle may be provided with one,two or more straps that may be secured around an arm or leg of a user.The strap may be of a elastic material and/or may comprise a suitablefastener, such as a hook and loop fastener, for securing to the limb. Inthis way, the receptacle may be more rigidly secured to the user,allowing the user to move more freely, for example when jogging orrunning.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way ofexample only, having reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a receptacle according to oneembodiment of the present invention with the lid in an open position.

Referring to FIG. 1, a receptacle is shown, generally indicated as 2.The receptacle 2 comprises a generally cylindrical housing 4 having aclosed bottom 6 and an open upper end 8, as shown in the FIGURE. Thehousing 4 is of a flexible, washable material, in particular Neoprene®.

A lid assembly 10 is pivotably attached to the upper end 8 of thehousing 4 by a fabric hinge 12. The lid assembly 10 comprises agenerally cylindrical lid 14, having a closed top 16 and an open lowerend 18, as viewed in the FIGURE. The lid 14 is of a flexible, washablematerial, in particular Neoprene®.

The lid assembly 10 is provided with a closure member 20 extendingacross the open lower end 18 of the lid 14, so as to form a closedcompartment 22 within the lid 14. A slit 24 is formed in the closuremember 20, allowing folded or crushed plastic bags to be inserted intoand extracted from the compartment 22.

The receptacle 2 comprises a fastener means to secure the lid assembly10 to the upper open end 8 of the housing 4, so as to close the housing4. The fastener means comprises a zip fastener extending around the openend of the housing 4 and having a first portion 26 mounted to theexterior of the open lower end 18 of the lid and a second portion 28mounted to the exterior of the open upper end 8 of the housing 4. Thefirst portion 26 of the zip fastener extends beyond the edge of the openlower end 18 of the lid 14. The second portion 28 of the zip fasteneroverlies the open upper end 8 of the housing, such that the edge of theopen end of the housing extends beyond the second portion 28. The zipfastener is generally permeable to air when in the closed state. Asealing strip 30 of a suitable rubber material is provided on theclosure member 20 and extends around the open end 18 of the lid adjacentthe inner side of the first portion 26 of the zip fastener. When the lid14 is moved to the closed position and the zip fastener is closed, inconventional manner, the edge of the open end 8 of the housing 4 iscaused to contact the sealing strip 30 of the lid assembly 10 andprovided a seal that significantly reduces the permeability of the zipfastener and reduces or eliminates the passage of air and odours outfrom the housing 4.

A tag of fabric 32 is provided on the exterior of the housing 4 on theopposite side to the fabric hinge 12, to be gripped and held by theuser, for example when opening and closing the lid. The tag 32 may beomitted, if desired.

A fabric loop 34 is mounted to the exterior of the housing 4 adjacentthe fabric hinge 12, which allows the receptacle 2 to be attached to abelt or strap being worn by the user, in convention manner. Again, theloop 34 may be made removeable or omitted entirely, if desired.

A hook assembly 36 of conventional design is mounted to the exterior ofthe housing 4 by a fabric loop 38 adjacent the fabric loop 34, forattaching the receptacle to other items, as required for storage and/ortransport. The hook assembly 36 and the loop 38 may be removeable oromitted, if preferred.

A disc 40 of perfumed material is disposed in the housing 4 a rests onthe bottom 6. The disc 40 is of known construction and formulation andcontains a perfume which is emitted into the housing and from thehousing when open. The disc 40 is readily removable from the housing,for example when the receptacle is to be washed or when the disc needsreplacement.

In use, fresh plastic bags are held in the compartment 22 in the lidassembly 10 and withdrawn when collection of organic waste, such a dogfaeces is required. Once collected in the bag, the waste is deposited inthe bag into the housing 4 and the lid assembly 10 closed onto thehousing 4 using the zip fastener. The sealing assembly serves to limitor prevent air and odours from escaping from the housing. The receptaclemay be carried by the user using the fabric loop 34 or the hook assembly36, leaving both hands free. When the receptacle is opened, the perfumeddisc 40 emits scents that mask any odours that may be emitted.

The receptacle, less the perfumed disc 40, may be washed in knownmanner, for repeated use.

1. A receptacle for organic waste, the receptacle intended for thestorage and transport of the said waste once contained within a plasticbag or the like, the receptacle comprising: a housing for containing theorganic waste having an opening therein; a lid for closing the openingin the housing; fastening means for securing the lid in a closedposition over the opening in the housing, the fastening means allowingthe passage of air therethrough; and a seal assembly disposed to sealthe opening in the housing when the lid is in the closed position. 2.The receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the housing is flexible. 3.The receptacle according to claim 2, wherein the housing is of a polymerof choloroprene or a polyamide.
 4. The receptacle according to anypreceding claim, wherein the lid is pivotably attached to the housing.5. The receptacle according to claim 4, wherein the pivotable attachmentcomprises a fabric hinge.
 6. The receptacle according to any precedingclaim, wherein the lid is of the same material as the housing.
 7. Thereceptacle according to any preceding claim, wherein the fastening meansis a zip fastener or a hook and loop fastener.
 8. The receptacleaccording to any preceding claim, wherein the seal assembly comprises asealing member extending across the interior of the fastening means. 9.The receptacle according to claim 8, wherein the sealing member is aportion of one of the lid or the housing.
 10. The receptacle accordingto claim 9, wherein the other of the lid or the housing comprises asealing portion for engaging with the sealing member.
 11. The receptacleaccording to any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the sealing member is aportion of the housing.
 12. The receptacle according to claim 11,wherein a sealing portion is provided on the lid, the sealing portioncomprising a strip of sealing material extending around the lid adjacentthe interior side of the fastening means.
 13. The receptacle accordingto any preceding claim, further comprising a scented or perfumedelement.
 14. The receptacle according to claim 13, wherein the scentedor perfumed element is disposed within the housing.
 15. The receptacleaccording to claim 14, wherein the scented or perfumed element is aremovable pad.
 16. The receptacle according to any preceding claim,further comprising means for storing and dispensing fresh plastic bags.17. The receptacle according to claim 16, wherein the said meanscomprises a compartment disposed in the interior of the receptacle. 18.The receptacle according to claim 17, wherein the said means aredisposed in the inner portion of the lid.
 19. The receptacle accordingto any preceding claim, further comprising means for attachment toanother item.
 20. The receptacle according to claim 19, wherein themeans for attachment comprise a loop and/or a hook assembly disposed onthe exterior of the housing.
 21. A receptacle for organic waste, thereceptacle intended for the storage and transport of the said waste oncecontained within a plastic bag or the like, the receptacle comprising: ahousing for containing the organic waste having an opening therein; alid for closing the opening in the housing; and an element comprising aperfumed material removably disposed within the housing.
 22. Thereceptacle according to claim 21, wherein the element is a pad disposedin the housing on the bottom of the housing.